


I Will Protect You

by Calicolor



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Drama, Falling In Love, Love at First Sight, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 01:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8184250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calicolor/pseuds/Calicolor
Summary: Like any other normal day, a battle wages between the kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr. Inevitably, the royal families find themselves clashing. But in the midst of battle, Leo finds himself busied with a task other than fighting the enemy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was a random thought I had right before I fell asleep one night...so here it is now in written format :)

The frenzy of war raged all around Leo. Lancers fought with sorcerers while cavaliers faced off against samurais. The skies were filled with the passing silhouettes of wyverns and pegasi. Kitsune and Wolfskin lunged at one another. Outlaws and archers sunk back into the shadows and struck unsuspecting enemies from a distance. The field was strewn with plenty of rocks and trees for cover as well as many wide-open spaces for combat.

This battle was one that was instigated by King Garon. The Nohrian royal family had been ordered to take over a small village on the outskirts of Hoshido. Leo had reluctantly set out with his brother and sisters to complete this mission. Little did they know that none other than the Hoshidan royal family would show up to defend the village.

The second prince of Nohr observed his surroundings, occasionally sending out a spell to finish off an enemy soldier advancing toward him. He didn’t particularly want to fight, but he knew that sometimes it was necessary. At the moment, he wasn’t too fixated on battling with the enemy. Leo was too busy searching for a certain archer from Hoshido.

He didn’t want to fight said Hoshidan. What he desired was to make sure he was safe.

It would probably sound very strange to anyone who knew of the two princes’ statuses as being from rival kingdoms. A prince of Nohr wanting to keep a Prince of Hoshido safe? There must be a catch. Maybe blackmail was involved? Perhaps a threat was the cause of such actions?

But none of it was true. There was quite a simple answer to why Leo refused to cause any harm to Takumi.

It was because he loved him.

Not that he would ever admit it. More like he _could_ never admit it. At least not as long as there was a war waging between the two kingdoms.

Leo often thought back on the first time he had ever met the silver-haired boy with eyes that burned with a spirit so bright, he didn’t know if he could look on without being singed himself. They had met on the battlefield. Takumi had had his sights set on destroying the blonde but…Leo had been unable to move. He had been struck motionless the instant they had locked gazes. The way his eyes had gleamed fiercely in the sunlight and how his hair had blown ever-so-slightly in the gentle breeze. His poise had been one of determination. Like he knew what he wanted in that moment and he would do anything in his power to attain it.

And Leo had been captivated by that.

He had fallen completely head-over-heels for, helplessly, and unconditionally in love with Takumi.

From that moment on, Leo had never attempted to make so much as a scratch on Takumi. He had personally vowed to do all that he could to protect him from harm. And it looked like today would be another day that he would need to do just that. If he could only find him…

As if his wish was granted, the second prince of Hoshido appeared, sprinting in his direction, bow drawn.

“I’ve found you, Prince of Nohr!” Takumi shouted as he came to a stop just within shooting range.

Leo plastered a glare onto his face as he looked toward the archer, secretly feeling relief at his appearance.

“Prince Takumi. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Leo said with a smirk on his face. “Lovely weather we’re having today, aren’t we?”

“Don’t mess with me,” Takumi snarled. “I wish to face off with you.”

“And why on earth should I do that?”

Takumi scoffed in disbelief.

“What? Is one-on-one too easy for Nohrian scum like yourself?”

Leo grinned. He was actually enjoying this banter between them. It was definitely a method of communication, albeit a bit hostile. He pulled on the reins of his horse to turn around.

“I’d love to chat more, but I have more pressing matters to attend to. I shall see you again, Prince Takumi.”

And with that, he rode off into a dense forest nearby. Takumi yelled after him. Leo could only pick up key words including “coward” and “scum” and “come back”. But he really did have an important task to do. As much as he wanted to just follow after Takumi and make sure he would be okay, he needed to make sure his siblings were doing well, too, at the frontlines. He would check up on them and then return to his task of ensuring Takumi’s safety.

A thought suddenly ran through Leo’s mind. He was technically aiding a Hoshidan prince by doing this kind of thing. To most of Nohr, this would be considered treason. If he were caught, the consequences could be dire. He could lose his royal position, or worse, his life.

But then again, as long as he wasn’t caught, this wasn’t much of a problem, now was it?

He sought to protect Takumi. To be his shield. He cared for him, like he didn’t think he could bear if anything were to happen to him…if he were to be…

No. That was the last thing he wanted to think about. He would tend to his siblings and then he would find him again as quickly as he could.

* * *

“Phew, now that that’s done…” Leo muttered under his breath as he raced off to find Takumi again.

His siblings seemed to be faring pretty well without him being there alongside them. Of course, he fought against some enemy units beside them to ease their burden a little. Then he snuck away once again.

He didn’t have to travel far to come face-to-face with the archer once again.

“There you are, coward,” Takumi exclaimed, blocking his path. “I brought a friend along this time to _help_ me, since, apparently, just me isn’t enough to quell your ego.”

Leo noticed that a samurai stood nearby, sword raised and pointing in his direction. He dropped his head, sighing.

“You don’t get it, do you? I won’t fight you, Prince. And there is nothing you can do that will make me.”

The samurai stole a glance toward Takumi.

“Stubborn one, isn’t he?”

“Oh, certainly,” Takumi said with a scowl. He turned his gaze back to Leo. “Why don’t you let go of your pride for just a minute and fight me alr—”

“Sorry, no can do. Urgent call on the other side of the battlefield. I must go.”

Leo rode off again, dodging a few trees and shrubs along the way. Takumi stomped his foot into the ground, fists clenched around his bow.

“Fine! Just keep running away, weakling!”

Takumi huffed as he turned to face his fellow ally.

“Sorry. I guess we should go aid some villagers instead. This is futile.”

The samurai nodded and made to follow Takumi. A sudden cracking noise grabbed their attention. They sprang into action, pressing themselves back-to-back to search for the source of the sound. A mercenary stepped out from behind a tree.

“It seems I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought I could be,” he said, advancing toward them. “Oh, well. If Prince Leo won’t fight you, then I guess I’ll have to take his place.”

“Who are you?” Takumi barked.

“Me? Oh that doesn’t matter. Just stand still and let me cut you down. One less Hoshidan royal will make matters easier for Nohr.”

“Prince Takumi. What shall we do?” the samurai asked.

Takumi looked around quickly and then shook his head.

“You must go and protect my sister, Sakura. She is being surrounded by Nohrian troops over there as we speak. Go to her.”

“B-But Prince Tak—”

“Go to her! I’ll take care of this. This will be an easy win. ”

The samurai hesitated for a moment, and then turned to leave.

“Yes, sir!”

This left Takumi alone with the new enemy, who had been waiting patiently. Takumi turned to face the Nohrian mercenary, who smirked at him.

“You seem confident. Don’t worry. We shall fix that soon enough…”

* * *

_Ugh. Where did he run off to now?_ Leo thought to himself as he raced around the battlefield.

_I know I technically ran away from him, but I still want to keep an eye on him._

Takumi had not been supposed to find Leo again after their first encounter. The blonde had been merely planning on watching him from the shadows, undetected.

Leo brought his horse to a halt when his eyes landed on an awful sight. Takumi laid face-up on the ground, covered in scratches and bruises, his clothing stained with blood. His Fujin Yumi, though still intact, rested several feet away from him, no longer giving off its divine glow. Leo looked on with a horrified expression. It took a few moments for the shocking sight to sink in. Then Leo leaped off of his horse and ran toward him. He dropped to his knees when he reached him. He then lifted Takumi’s’ head and rested it on his lap. Grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, Leo cried out.

“Takumi. Prince Takumi! Hey, wake up! You can’t be dead! You can’t! Say something!”

A faint cough came from the archer, sparking a glimmer of hope within Leo.

“Prince Takumi!”

Takumi opened his eyes, weakly. He tried to say something.

“W…why…why is Prince Leo…in front…of me?”

Leo sighed in relief.

“Thank the gods you’re okay. Here, drink this.”

Leo rummaged around in his pocket and took out a small bottle. Takumi snorted when he saw what was in Leo’s hand.

“I’d rather die than accept help from Nohrian scum.”

“Just take it.”

“No.”

Please, just take it,” Leo practically begged.

“NO!”

Takumi coughed violently from putting too much strain on his voice. Leo snapped. He took a deep breath. Exasperation was written all over his face.

“Don’t you understand!? If you die, what is your family going to do? How are your sisters going to feel? What about Sakura and Hinoka? Don’t you care about them?”

The words just came to Leo. They would enter his mind and he would spit them out without a second thought.

“What about Ryoma? How is Ryoma going to react when he finds his brother dead on the battlefield?”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“If you ask me, it sounds awfully selfish of you to just die on them when you have a second chance right in front of you…but instead of accepting it, you’d just deny it all because of some petty thing such as pride.”

He could hardly believe what he was saying. The words were coming out a bit harsher now. But at this point, he would do anything to persuade the stubborn prince. His face took on a softer appearance before he said his next words, a bit quieter this time.

“You’re going to cause greater sorrow than is necessary to your family. Do them a favor and live.”

Takumi stared at him, wide-eyed and speechless. Leo sighed.

“It’s not like anybody has to _know_ that this happened. Nobody has to know _who_ helped you.”

A long moment passed by in silence with Leo staring adamantly into the other’s enlarged eyes. Then, Takumi slowly opened his mouth. Leo’s face relaxed slightly.

“Thank you.”

He moved the bottle to Takumi’s lips and carefully poured the potion down his throat. The archer’s expression relaxed a bit as the color slowly started returning to his face. He closed his eyes as if content. At least he wasn’t near death anymore.

Leo found himself admiring the calm look upon the face of the Hoshidan prince. It was rare to see him look so peaceful. He noticed how smooth his skin looked. Leo wondered how soft it would be to touch. His gaze traced over his features…his long eyelashes…his nose…his rosy lips…

He shook his head, though Takumi did not see this. What in the world was he thinking!? This wasn’t the right time for those kinds of thoughts.

Takumi’s eyes slowly opened to reveal a harsh stare.

“I’m doing this for my family and my kingdom. Not for _you_ , Prince Leo,” he spat.

Leo smirked. He gently moved Takumi’s head so that it was resting on the ground rather than his lap. He stood up and began walking over to his horse.

“I know. By the way, just Leo is fine. And I assume, in return, I may call you just Takumi. Fair deal?”

He heard a sort of scuffling movement behind him. Then Takumi was yelling at him once again.

“Why are you doing this for me? Why don’t you just finish me off now? You would do it in the future, if not now anyway.”

Leo stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look back. Takumi was now on his feet, although his legs were somewhat askew. He seemed like he was trying to keep his balance, but was hiding it. Leo’s smirk disappeared as he looked over the currently frail-looking man. A serious expression took its place.

“I would never do something as dishonorable as attacking an enemy while he’s down and defenseless.”

Takumi’s face was one of surprise after what Leo had said to him. Leo turned back to hoist himself up onto his horse. He lowered his head to hide his face behind his hair. He muttered under his breath.

“Besides, I could never bring myself to kill you.”

“Huh? What was that?”

Leo merely chuckled and smacked the reins, riding off.

“I suspect we will see each other again soon, Takumi!”

Takumi stared after him as he rode off, a dumbfounded look on his face.

“Yeah…” Takumi said, though Leo was already out of range. “I guess we will…Leo…”

A gust of wind enveloped the area for an instant, jostling and twisting his hair around, and then it was gone. A small smile formed on his face as he observed the now Leo-less area.

“Thank you…” Takumi whispered to the empty space in front of him.

* * *

Leo guided his horse between trees and through open fields. He found he was gripping the reins a bit tighter than was necessary. His mind kept returning to the horrible scene he had stumbled upon just ten minutes earlier. Takumi dying, lying motionless on the ground. He didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t—

He shook his head furiously, shaking the bad thoughts from his mind.

“Don’t worry, Takumi. An early death doesn’t very well suit you. You need not worry as long as I’m around.”

A wet substance was suddenly blurring his vision. He didn’t bother to wipe his eyes. He could just make out the fuzzy outlines of trees and other scenery as he passed by them. As the image continued to resonate in his mind, he found himself quietly whispering.

“I’ll do anything in my power to make sure that never happens.”

“I will protect you.”


End file.
